The proposal has met all of the requirements for an IC. The course of study enables the student to meet their stated learning objectives; the IC has a cohesive narrative, course list, and capstone/thesis; the IC studies the field broadly and deeply within an area of focus; the student has strong advising support from faculty sponsor(s) and other advising networks; and the student has received full approval before the end of their 6th semester.

A proposal has nearly met all the above requirements; the student needs to address a few minor points or areas of concern; the proposal does not need to be sent back to the full committee.

The proposal has met some, but not enough, of the requirements for provisional or full approval; if resubmitted, it will return to the full committee.

The proposal needs a significant rewrite, e.g.: the narrative needs reframing and perhaps reconsideration; the stated concentration lacks cohesion among the stated areas of study; the student has not argued persuasively enough for its distinction from one of Brown's standard concentrations; the course list does not align well with the learning goals; it is unclear which courses are available at Brown for the intended field of study; the faculty sponsor letter is insufficient; the student is encouraged to workshop their proposal with a member of the Writing Center.

An IC proposal cannot be completed at Brown (e.g., a field of study outside the scope of the liberal arts); the proposal is too similar to a standard concentration; or the student was unable to achieve Provisional Approval by the end of their 6th semester. Even with this decision, a student may submit another fundamentally reconsidered proposal and must meet with IC Coordinators to discuss structural changes to the proposal.